


The House Elf and the Lioness

by Redrikki



Series: Houses Alike in Dignity [2]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Bigotry & Prejudice, Class Issues, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-05-12 13:07:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5667148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redrikki/pseuds/Redrikki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Honestly Sybil, he's practically a house elf,"  Mary exclaimed when she caught them kissing in the stacks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The House Elf and the Lioness

Despite what Mary would later say, Sybil hadn’t fallen in love with Tom Branson because he was muggle-born. She hadn’t fallen for him in spite of it either. Sybil loved Tom because he was the single most _Gryffindor_ boy she’d ever met. Once, during a History of Magic lecture about the leprechaun gold fraud scandal of 1793, he had stood up and delivered a blistering rant about English colonialism in Ireland and the evils of capitalism. The professor had been mildly bemused by the interruption, but Sybil had been electrified by the idea of a boy who felt as passionately about his causes as she did hers. She showed him her letter to the editor of _The Daily Prophet_ about the need to expand the vote to women and muggle-borns and he lent her his copy of _Das Capital_. They were perfect for each other and, someday, they would change the world.

Of course, as a poor, Muggle-born Irishman, Tom was entirely unacceptable as far as the family was concerned. Mary certainly made that abundantly clear the day she caught them kissing in the library stacks. “Honestly Sybil!” Mary exclaimed. “He’s practically a house elf.” 

Tom swelled with indignation beside her. “Don’t be vulgar, Mary,” Sybil snapped before Tom could say anything foolish.

“Carrying on with a muggle-born.” Mary shook her head in horrified wonder. “And an Irishman,” she added, her nose crinkling with disgust. “What will Papa think?”

 

“Oh, please don’t tell,” Sybil pleaded, seizing her sister’s arm and gazing imploringly. If it had been Edith Mary had caught kissing Tom, the owl would have already been half-way to Downton, but surely she wouldn’t betray her favorite sister. 

“Of course I won’t,” Mary said breezily. “We’re all entitled to a few…,” she flipped a dismissive hand in Tom’s general direction, “indiscretions. Just get rid of him before anyone else finds out,” she ordered before swanning off into the stacks.

Sybil breathed a sigh of relief, but Tom seemed determined to work himself up. “A house elf,” he muttered, his fists clenching and unclenching. “A _house elf_!” Tom had Opinions about the treatment of house elves, although Sybil didn’t see the fuss. Clearly those odd elves who were unhappy with their lot like her dear friend Gwen aught to be given clothing, but forcing it upon the ones who were perfectly content serving witches and wizards seemed almost cruel. 

“I’m sure she didn’t mean it,” Sybil said, although she was quite sure Mary had. Her sister took a rather Slytherin sort of pride in the Crawley’s magical lineage. Yes, their mother was an American half-blood, but at least the Levinson family fortune helped to soften the blow. Tom had no such advantages.

“Why did you ask her to keep quiet? Are you ashamed of me?” His voice broke and Sybil’s heart broke with it.

“Oh, Tom, no.” Sybil cupped his face and willed him to look at her. “I love you and I will never be ashamed of you or of that.” She bit her lip and tried to find a way to explain. “If my parents find out, they’ll pull me out of Hogwarts. I’ll lose you.” Without Tom, she’d be trapped into the life of a pure-blood broodmare. With him, she could become a Healer, or an activist, or anything at all really. “Once we graduate, there’s nothing they can do to keep us apart.”

Tom nodded slowly, thoughtful. “So,” he said, “in the meantime, we just need to be discrete.” Then he cast a concealment charm and picked up where they had left off.

**Author's Note:**

> I've placed this series in the early 1910s, but fudged the timeline so that certain characters could be roughly the same age.


End file.
